In an InfoWorld interview, Levchin described PayPal as “a security company posing as a transaction processor.” That vision has helped to make Internet shopping safer for all consumers. To develop “Igor,” Levchin first had to let Internet fraudsters steal money so that he could observe them and develop a solution that worked. This strategy was risky, as it involved the possible loss of money. But the resulting solution saved PayPal millions of dollars and got the attention of others companies, such as eBay, a former marketplace competitor. — E.E. Return to InfoWorld’s 25 Most Influential CTOs 2002 Security